Oedipus Rex
(or Oedipus the King)
“The world is full of wonders but
nothing is more wonderful then man”
Sophocles
Sophocles’ Life
 496 B.C. - 406 B.C.
 Life coincided with the
golden era of Greek
tragedy
 Career began when
he entered the annual
theatrical competition
sacred to the god
Dionysus
Sophocles’ Life
 From 468-406 (68 years) wrote over 120
plays
 24 of which won first prize in the Dionysia; those that
did not come in first placed second
 Innovator in Greek tragedy--he was the first to
use the mechane, crane used to lower Gods
onto the stage
 Increased the size of the chorus and added a
third speaker to the chorus
Sophocles’ Life
Sophocles’ plays dealt with the
“Human Experience.”
Plays suggest that though a human may
not have complete control over his/her
destiny, he/she may still be held
accountable for his/her actions.
Person’s place in the universe.
Sophocles’ Life
Only seven of Sophocles’ plays have
survived intact
Oedipus the King is considered his
masterpiece, the most important and
influential drama ever written
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece responsible for
modernization society.
Art, Philosophy, science, medicine,
mathematics, drama and literature all
underwent dramatic growth and evolved into
what we know today.
Greek Theater
Four Qualities of Greek Drama
1. Performed for special occasions (festivals)
Athens had four festivals worshipping
Dionysus -- (Bacchus in Latin, Roman)
god of wine, fertility, rebirth
2. Competitive -- Actors and playwrights
competed
Greek Theater
3. Choral
-- singing
seems to have
been an important
part- a group of
men (varied in size
from 3 to 50)
4. Closely associated
with religion –
stories based on
myth or history.
10 Characteristics of Sophocles' plays
 emphasis on individual characters
 reduced role of chorus
 complex characters, psychologically wellmotivated
 characters subjected to crisis leading to suffering
and self-recognition - including a higher law
above man
 exposition carefully motivated
Characteristics (cont.)
scenes suspenseful and climactic
action clear and logical
poetry clear and beautiful
few elaborate visual effects
theme emphasized: the choices of
people
The chorus
 Dominant in early tragedies (so main actors could
change roles ?)
 Size: Generally believed to be 15 by the time of
Sophocles, Later diminished in time
 Entered with stately march, sometimes singing or in
small groups
 Choral passages sung and danced in unison,
sometimes divided into two groups
 Sometimes exchanged dialog with the main
characters, rarely individual speaking (though some
say the choregus may have spoken / sung alone)
Terminology
Hubris- excessive pride or self- confidence
Hamartia- tragic flaw
Peripeteia- sudden change of events
Catharsis- purging of emotions
Oedipus Myth
Oedipus was the mythical king of Thebes, son
of Laius and Jocasta.
Unknowingly killed his father and married his
mother.
Laius, Oedipus' father, kidnapped and raped
the young boy Chrysippus and was then cursed
by Chrysippus' father, Pelops.
Oedipus Myth
The weight of this curse bore down onto
Oedipus himself.
 At his birth, an oracle prophesied that he
would kill his father and marry his mother,
Jocasta.
Seeking to avoid such a fate, Laius had
the infant's ankles pierced with nails and
had him exposed (placed in the wilderness
to die).
Oedipus Myth
His servant could not carry out Laius' order
and instead handed the boy to a shepherd
who presented the child to King Polybus
and Queen Merope of Corinth, who raised
him as their own son.
Oedipus Myth
 At a party thrown by King Polybus, a drunk guest
called Oedipus a bastard.
 Oedipus did not believe the man and in an effort
to confirm his parentage Oedipus sought out the
Oracle at Delphi.
 Instead of telling him his parentage, the Oracle
related the same prophecy as was told to his
father: that Oedipus would kill his father and
marry his mother.
 Oedipus decided not to return home in order
to avoid Polybus and Merope.
 As he traveled, Oedipus encountered a
mystical creature that was terrorizing Thebes.
 Oedipus saved the city by answering the
riddle of the Sphinx ("What walks on four legs
in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and
three legs in the evening?": Man, as a baby
man crawls on four legs; as an adult walks on
two legs; when old, man uses a cane.)
Oedipus Myth
He was rewarded with the now-vacant
throne of Thebes and the widowed queen
Jocasta's hand in marriage.
 In Sophocles' play, Oedipus the King,
Oedipus has four children with Jocasta,
though this may have been a plot device
he employed, as incest was not part of the
original myth.
The Oedipus Complex
Sigmund Freud used the name The Oedipus
complex to explain the origin of certain
neuroses in childhood.
Defined as a male child's unconscious desire
for the exclusive love of his mother.
Desire includes jealousy towards the father and the
unconscious wish for that parent's death.
Oedipus himself, as portrayed in the myth, did in no
way suffer from this neurosis - at least, not towards
Jocasta, whom he only met as a grown up.
The Oedipus Complex
 Freud reasoned that the ancient Greek
audience, which heard the story told or saw
the plays based on it, did know that Oedipus
was actually killing his father and marrying his
mother.
 The story being continually told and played
therefore reflected a preoccupation with the
theme.